Apparatus for vibration of a cot, cradle or the like

ABSTRACT

An apparatus ( 1 ) for the vibration of a cot ( 2 ), a cradle, or the like includes a vibration unit ( 3 ), which can be applied to the cot ( 2 ) by a removable coupling ( 16 ); a pair of elastic supports ( 5 ), which can be applied to the ends of a pair of respective legs ( 2 ′) of the cot ( 2 ); and a vibrators ( 6 ) located in the vibration unit ( 3 ), which are designed to cause the vibration unit ( 6 ) to vibrate. The movement caused by the vibrator ( 6 ) being transmitted by the vibration unit ( 3 ) to the cot ( 2 ) and to the pair of elastic supports ( 5 ), generating a composite oscillatory movement deriving from the sum of the oscillations of the cot ( 2 ) and of the ones transmitted to the elastic supports ( 5 ); the apparatus ( 1 ) also includes an activator and controller ( 7, 10 ) capable of interacting with the vibration unit ( 6 ), enabling activation thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present innovation relates to an apparatus for the vibration of acot, cradle, or the like.

In greater detail, the innovation concerns an apparatus that can beremovably applied to a cot or cradle, devised and built to enable themother or baby-sitter at a distance to get a baby off to sleep.

As is well known, to get a baby off to sleep it is common practice torock the baby, applying a slight oscillatory motion on the cot or cradlein which the baby is lying.

However, it is likewise known how the very presence of an adultfrequently has the effect of distracting the baby, thus increasing thedifficulty of the baby falling sleep.

Known and available on the market are devices belonging to the known artthat are able to transmit an oscillation to cots or cradles to whichthey are applied, as described in the Italian patent for utility modelNo. IT00236336, filed in the name of the present applicant. Said patentconcerns a device that can be applied, as has been said, to a cot or toa cradle, which is provided with an internal vibrator and a pair ofelastic supports located on two corresponding feet of said cot orcradle.

The action of the vibrator, actuated by an electric motor, creates acomposite oscillatory movement deriving from the sum of the oscillationsof the cot and the oscillations transmitted to said elastic supports.

The vibrator inside said device can be made in different forms. One ofthese comprises a mass located eccentrically with respect to a rotatingmember, set in rotation by an electric motor.

The main technical problem of said device is that, in order to turn iton and/or off, it is necessary to act directly on the device itself bymeans of a switch. Consequently, the baby could wake up following uponswitching-off thereof by the mother or the baby-sitter.

Among other things, consider the case where the baby were to wake upagitated, perhaps on account of a particularly shallow sleep. Supposealso that the mother or the baby-sitter is in the meantime busy doingsomething or for some reason cannot immediately come up to the cot torock the baby off to sleep or to switch the vibration device builtaccording to the known art on again. If the aforesaid state of agitationof the baby were to last beyond a certain limit, the baby couldirremediably wake up completely and thus remain wide awake.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the light of what has been said above, the purpose of the presentinnovation is to provide an apparatus that can be activated by a user,without any need to go up to the cot or the cradle where the baby islying, or else automatically as soon as the baby starts to cry, to bedeactivated, in either case, after a pre-set time of operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present innovation will now be described by way of non-limitingillustration according to its preferred variant embodiments, withparticular reference to the figures of the attached plates of drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 shows the vibration apparatus applied to a baby cot according tothe innovation;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of operation of the apparatus according toFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a front view of the apparatus according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the vibration unit of the apparatusaccording to FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows vibration means of the apparatus according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the elastic supports of the apparatusaccording to FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view of the elastic supports accordingto FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 shows a remote control located on a base for rechargingbatteries.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is possible to note the apparatus 1according to the innovation applied to a cot 2, and a correspondingblock diagram of operation thereof.

Said apparatus 1 in the embodiment illustrated comprises a vibrationunit 3 capable of interacting with a remote unit 4 (or remote control).

The vibration unit 3 can be removably applied to the cot 2 of the babyor to the cradle, for example to a side thereof 2″.

Two elastic supports 5 are applied to the ends of a pair of legs 2′ ofthe cot 2.

Said vibration unit 3 contains within it appropriate vibration means 6,illustrated in particular in FIG. 5.

Said vibration means 6 are provided with a base 22, which can be fixedto the chassis of the vibration unit 3, on which an electric motor 23 isinstalled, supplied by means of a transformer or battery (not visible inthe figures). Said electric motor 23 is coupled in rotation by means ofa drive belt 24 to a pulley 25, and a mass 26 is eccentrically fixed onsaid pulley 25.

When said pulley 25 turns, for example in the direction A, by means ofthe electric motor 23, the mass 26, by rotating, creates an oscillatorymovement of the vibration unit 3.

Said vibration unit 3 moreover comprises first transceiving and controlmeans 7 connected to an antenna 8 and to a microphone 9, the latterbeing designed to pick up the sounds in the neighbourhood of saidvibration unit 3.

The vibration unit 3 moreover comprises a programmable timer (notillustrated in the figures), which has the task of deactivating thevibration means 6 after a time interval that is programmable, withoutany direct intervention on the vibration unit 3 on the part of themother or the baby-sitter.

In FIG. 3, it may be noted how the remote unit 4 also comprises lightindicators 14 that indicate the intensity of the signal received,detected by the microphone 9. This enables also visible determination ofwhether, in the proximity of the cot 2 or cradle, there are presentsounds of a certain intensity, whilst said vibration unit 3 is providedwith a nightlight 15.

There may be noted also supports 16, which can be applied to the side 2″of the cot 2 for coupling to said vibration unit 3.

The vibration unit 3 illustrated also has a plurality of controls on thetop. In particular, there may be noted:

-   -   switches 17 for selection of the radio-transmission channel;    -   a switch 18 for switching-on and selection of the mode of        operation of the vibration unit 3;    -   a control 19 for the volume and sensitivity of the microphone 9;    -   a control 20 for regulation of the rate of vibration; and    -   light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 21 for indication of the state of        operation.    -   The above-mentioned switch 18 enables, in particular, selection        of the different modes of operation of the apparatus 1, amongst        which:    -   manual control: the mother or baby-sitter switches on and        switches off said apparatus 1 manually by means of a common        switch (as in the known art);    -   automatic control: whereas the vibration unit 3 switches on        automatically when the baby starts to cry, it switches off after        a programmable time interval by means of said timer; and/or    -   remote control: the vibration unit 3 switches on by means of the        remote unit 4, controlled by the mother or baby-sitter; it        switches off once again through said timer.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show an elastic support 5, which can be applied to thelegs 2′ and 2″ of the cot 2.

Said elastic support 5 comprises a first element 27′ and a secondelement 27″ coupled telescopically in a slidable way. At the bottom endsof said second element 27″ there is applied a suction cup 28 forremovable fixing of the elastic support 5 on the floor, whilst at thetop end of said first element 27′ there is applied a screw 29 foranchorage to the leg 2′ of the cot 2.

Said screw 29 is fixed to a spring 30 located between said first andsecond elements 27′ and 27″.

FIG. 8 shows the remote unit 4 located on a base 31 for rechargingrechargeable batteries with which said remote unit 4 is supplied.

Said recharging base 31 has a seat 32 in which the bottom part of theremote unit 4 containing the electrical contacts (not visible in thefigures) can be housed.

Said recharging base 31 also comprises a LED 33 for the indication ofthe state of recharging of the batteries of said remote unit 4.

The unit 4 also comprises a connector 13′ for insertion of earphones(not illustrated in the figures), and further means 10, which accordingto the embodiment of the apparatus can be for transceiving andcontrolling or simply receiving and able to interact with said firsttransceiving and control means 7 of the vibration unit 3.

Said further means 10 are connected to a corresponding antenna 11, to aswitch or push-button 12, and to a loudspeaker 13.

As has been said, the microphone 9 detects the sounds in theneighbourhood of the vibration unit 3. Said first transceiving andcontrol means 7 process and send, by means of the antenna 8, the signalpicked up by said microphone 9 to said further transceiving and controlor simply receiving means 10 via the antenna 11.

Said further transceiving and control means 10 transmit the signaldetected, after having demodulated it, to the loudspeaker 13, whichdiffuses it in the surrounding space.

The mother or baby-sitter can in this way hear the sounds in theneighbourhood of the cot 2 or cradle and tell immediately whether thebaby has woken up.

As already anticipated, in addition to the manual mode of operation, inwhich the person is close to the cot and actuates the vibration unitwhen the baby starts crying, the apparatus can also envisage another twoalternative modes of operation: one of a remote type and the other of anautomatic type.

In the case of remote operation, the means 10 that receive the noisesignal of the baby that is crying, emitted by the microphone 9 set onthe vibration unit 3, are transceiving and control means.

Consequently, the person that is in the proximity of the remote control4 and hears these noises amplified can press the push-button 12 so thatsaid further transceiving and control means 10 will transmit anappropriate activation signal to said first transceiving and controlmeans 7 of said vibration unit 3, which activate said vibration means 6.

Said first transceiving and control means 7 and said furthertransceiving and control means 10 can communicate by means of aplurality of channels, enabling control by means of the same remotecontrol unit 4 of a number of vibration units 3.

When said vibration unit 3 is activated and applied to the baby's cot 2,the vibrations are transmitted to said cot 2 and to the pair of elasticsupports 5, generating a composite oscillatory motion obtained by thesum of the oscillations of the cot 2 and of the ones transmitted to saidelastic supports 5, with the effect of gently rocking said cot 2.

As has already been said, a timer will see to turning off the vibrationunit after a certain pre-set time, deeming that in the meantime the babyhas fallen asleep.

In the case of automatic operation, instead, the means 10 that receivethe noise signal of the baby that is crying, emitted by the microphone 9set on the vibration unit 3, are only receiving means. They amplify thesignal so that the person that is in the vicinity of the remote control4 knows that the baby is crying.

In this case, however, it will be the vibration unit 3 itself that isactivated directly by the noise emitted by its microphone 9 as soon asthe baby starts to cry. Advantageously, at the same time also thenightlight 15 will light up, which may be useful to the person whoapproaches the cot to see whether the baby has moved or needs help.

Also in this case a timer will see to turning off the vibration unitafter a certain pre-set time, deeming that in the meantime the baby hasfallen asleep.

It is clear that the apparatus can envisage operating alternatively withall three types of control: manual, automatic, and remote, or else withone or two of them according to the need and the wishes of the purchaserthereof.

The present innovation has been described by way of illustrative, butnon-limiting, example according to its preferred embodiments, but it isto be understood that variations and/or modifications may be made bypersons skilled in the branch, without thereby departing from thecorresponding sphere of protection, as defined by the annexed claims.

1. An apparatus for the vibration of a cot, cradle, or the like,comprising: a vibration unit, which can be applied to said cot byremovable coupling means; a pair of elastic supports, which can beapplied to the ends of a pair of respective legs of said cot; andvibration means, located in said vibration unit, which are designed tocause said vibration unit to vibrate, the movement caused by saidvibration means being transmitted by said vibration unit to said cot andto the pair of elastic supports, thus generating a composite oscillatorymovement deriving from the sum of the oscillations of said cot and ofthe ones transmitted to said elastic supports; wherein said apparatuscomprises means of activation and control capable of interacting withsaid vibration unit, enabling activation thereof.
 2. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said means of activation and controlcomprise a timer, located in said vibration unit and connected to saidvibration means, said timer, once actuated, deactivating said vibrationmeans after a programmable time interval.
 3. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein said means of activation and control comprise firsttransceiving and control means, located in said vibration unit andconnected to said vibration means, and a remote-control unit, comprisingfurther transceiving and control means, which are configured to transmitto said first transceiving and control means a control signal foractivation of said vibration means.
 4. The apparatus according to claim3, wherein said first and said further transceiving means areconnectable by means of one or more transmission channels.
 5. Theapparatus according to claim 3, wherein said first transceiving meansand said further transceiving means are of a radio-frequency type. 6.The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a pair of antennas arerespectively connected to said first transceiving means and said furthertransceiving means.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein saidvibration unit comprises a microphone connected to said firsttransceiving and control means, which is configured to detect the soundsin the neighbourhood of said vibration unit; said transceiving andcontrol means processing and transmitting the signal from saidmicrophone to said further transceiving and control means.
 8. Theapparatus according to claim 7, wherein said vibration unit comprisesmeans for regulation of the sensitivity of the microphone.
 9. Theapparatus according to claim 7, wherein said remote-control unitcomprises sound-transduction means connected to said furthertransceiving and control means, which are configured to reproduce thesignal received by said transceiving and control means.
 10. Theapparatus according to claim 9, wherein said sound-transduction meanscomprise a loudspeaker.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 9, whereinsaid sound-transduction means comprise earphones that are connectable toa connector located on said remote unit.
 12. The apparatus according toclaim 9, wherein said remote unit comprises means for regulation of thevolume, connected to said transduction means.
 13. The apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein said vibration unit comprises anightlight.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said meansof activation and control are configured to interact with saidnightlight, enabling activation thereof.
 15. The apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein said vibration unit comprises light-signalling means.16. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vibration unitcomprises means for regulation of regulating the frequency of vibration.